The Paris AtlasCharting the artists, works, and places worth returning to.

A character in The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Evelyn Howard

Mrs Inglethorp's blunt, deep-voiced companion, who quarrels over Alfred, leaves the house, and warns Hastings to watch him.

What they want

In her own account, to see Alfred hanged; in truth, the opposite.

The book

The Mysterious Affair at StylesAgatha Christie, 1920

Agatha Christie's first novel, written on a bet in a wartime dispensary, and the first appearance of Hercule Poirot.

View the book

At a glance

In the book
Mrs Inglethorp's companion; Alfred's cousin
Where she appears
Chapters 1, 2, 5 onward

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Evelyn Howard is forty, square, loud and useful. She has kept Mrs Inglethorp company for years and says exactly what she thinks, which on the first afternoon is that Alfred Inglethorp is after the money. The quarrel that follows sends her out of the house. Before she goes she tells Hastings that Alfred will murder his wife in her bed, and that Hastings must watch.

She comes back after the death and throws herself into the case against Alfred. Hastings likes her better than anyone in the house, and Poirot says she is a woman of great sense.

How Evelyn Howard Is Portrayed

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • The voiceDeep, almost a man's, and the first thing Hastings notices about her.
  • The buildSquare, tall, sunburned, with a handshake like a grip.
  • The warningAlfred will murder his wife in her bed, she tells Hastings on the drive, and Hastings must watch.
  • The returnBack at Styles after the death, loud in her certainty that Alfred did it.
  • The cousinAlfred came to the house as her relation, a fact stated in Chapter 1 and forgotten.
  • The gardening glovesHastings sees her as a countrywoman in thick boots and a man's jacket, which is also a description of a disguise.
Their ending, and the commentary — spoilers aheadHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

Evelyn Howard planned the murder with Alfred, her cousin and lover. Her quarrel and departure were staged. Wearing his clothes and a false beard, she bought the strychnine in his name, and she put the bromide in the tonic. Poirot names her with him.

If you like The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Four books that share themes, tone, or setting with this one.

If you like Agatha Christie

Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.

  • Illustrated portrait of Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    Louis-Ferdinand Céline

    The doctor of the Paris slums who wrote the century's blackest, funniest novel — and changed the sound of French prose.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Simone de Beauvoir

    Simone de Beauvoir

    French writer and philosopher whose novels, memoirs, and social analysis examined freedom, gender, responsibility, aging, and the material conditions that shape a life.

    View author
  • Illustrated portrait of Henry Miller

    Henry Miller

    The Brooklyn dropout who arrived in Paris broke at thirty-eight and wrote the exuberant, banned books that ended American censorship.

    View author
Back to The Mysterious Affair at Styles